- Jessika Kenney
Atria
Atria is Jessika Kenney’s first solo release following collaborations and recordings with artists such as Eyvind Kang, Gamelan Pacifica, Hossein Omoumi, Jarrad Powell, Ellen Fullman, Oren Ambarchi, Asva, Gamelan Madu Sari, Sun City Girls, Sunno))), The Black Cat Orchestra, Mamiffer, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc.
Jessika has toured and performed world wide, both as a solo artist and as a member of various groups. Her performances have appeared on labels such as Ideologic Organ, Present Sounds, Haft Dastgah, Touch, Southern Lord, Tzadik, Southern Records, Drag City, etc.
Atria was recorded and mixed by Mell Dettmer (Gambari Band, Jesse Sykes, Boris/Sunno))), Eyvind Kang, Wolves In The Throne Room).
LP edition of 300 copies, in custom printed tri-tone jackets with oversized LP booklet containing scores and translations, and handstamped LP labels. Album art by Jessika Kenney and Faith Coloccia.
Atria is a full length LP featuring compositions written between 2007- 2013, including performances by esteemed musicians from Gamelan Pacifica, Gamelan Kusuma Laras, and Gamelan Rakyat, as well as Eyvind Kang, and recorded in multiple contexts with sound engineer Mell Dettmer.
The term “Atria” emerged in a dream in 2007, at a time when I was si- multaneously writing new music for the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble at the invitation of Chris Miller, and recording “Voices of Spring” with Ostad Omoumi. “Atria” sounded like the Latin plural of atrium, evoking the chambers of the heart, and reminded me of the Javanese Satriya or “Knights”, but it was only later I realized the reference to the Arabic triliteral root “atr” or scent. This music has come into being in a similar way, by associations, breaths, correspondences, and dreams, with the untranslatable and the inexpressible as a compass. At the same time it is a document of a learning process, and although I have been so fortunate to have incredible teachers, all the errors and delusions are my own. This is a meditation on an internalized meta-historical dynamic between Javanese and Persian traditions, and is a tribute to the role of sound in the context of esoteric practices, including prophetology and healing water.